1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tree stand frame that attaches to a tree allowing a tree stand to be attached to the frame. The frame allows the tree stand to be leveled by a user on two different axis, both left and right and back and forth with respect to the tree.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Tree stands are very useful in the sport of hunting. Being located up in a tree, a tree stand elevates a hunter, allowing him or her to see over intervening brush and vegetation that might otherwise block the hunter's view of approaching game. This gives the hunter a better vantage point from which to prosecute the hunt.
As the name strongly implies and excluding box stands and tripod stands, tree stands are located up in and attached to a tree. The tree is selected as is the desired height and the hunter installs the stand. While most hunters are quite adept at installing various tree stands, modern tree stand installation is not without its drawbacks. Chief among the drawbacks is the fact that very few trees grow perfectly straight. As such, in order to be both safe and comfortable on the tree stand, the hunter must level the tree stand prior to use. This can get quite problematic as the hunter may be twenty to thirty feet or more up in the tree while attempting to adjust the securement cables or metal brackets that secure the stand to the tree all while making sure the hunter does not fall.
To address this problem, various leveling systems have been proposed to help a hunter level the tree stand. Such devices, which come in various architectures and work with varying degrees of efficiency, suffer from drawbacks of their own. Many prior art leveling systems are complex in both design and construction so as to make such devices expensive to manufacture, obtain, and maintain. Some devices are unusually difficult to use, especially when up in a tree. Still others require tools, sometimes specialized tools, adding to the load the hunter must carry during the hunt.
What is needed is a device that allows a hunter to level a tree stand that overcomes the above mentioned shortcomings found in the art. Specifically, such a device must allow a hunter, working high up in a tree, to be able easily adjust the tree stand in short order without the need for tools. Such a device must be relatively simple in design and construction so that it is relatively inexpensive to produce as well as to maintain.